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FRAMEWORK FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
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oldovan local governments are rather active in international cooperation both concerning decentralised cooperation with their peers and fund raising with donors as well as in regard to advocacy at the international level through CALM on consolidation of development policies, aid modalities and new programs. In the first case, LGs are targeting community development, consolidation of local services and infrastructure, capacity building and solution of urgent local problems with the support of their colleagues from different parts of the world. In the second case, they are pursuing consolidation of international support to the reforms in Moldova in local government field, attraction of public and private investments for local level, new programs and projects for local governments as well as cooperation with colleagues and specialised development organisations.
Decentralised cooperation Decentralised cooperation in Moldova has a long history since after the independence in 1992. The vast majority of Moldovan municipalities up until now managed to establish twinning and partnership relations with their colleagues from the West and East while many of them have an overwhelming number of partnership relations with more than ten municipalities from different countries. Most of twinning and partnerships are established with Moldovan neighbors – Romania and Ukraine. At the same time, there is also a rather significant cooperation with municipalities from countries such as Bulgaria, Italy, Russia and Germany. Overall challenges, dimensions and achievements of decentralised cooperation may be characterised by the following: 1. Decentralised cooperation is considered as an important opportunity for: a) fundraising for small capital investments in communities and municipalities with rather scarce funding available from oth-
er sources; b) for exchanges and learning; and c) as well as for international presence. The majority of activities carried out are in the field of small infrastructure projects of EUR 2000-10000 with the support of partner LGs from other countries; 2. Lately have emerged few indications of a certain overdoing on decentralised cooperation. With too many twining and partnerships for many LGs, decentralised cooperation is becoming rather time and resource consuming. Municipalities and communities with many twining and partnership relations are reorienting towards small capital investments as a main reason for decentralised cooperation. 3. Aid modalities are very important since aid funds intervene in the balance of power in the society. To be successful and sustainable, aid modalities need to thoroughly consider societal realities in developing countries and their specifics. Otherwise, designed under the models and mentality of economically developed countries, they risk becoming futile. In this context, the empowerment of the main national reform actors – civil society, local governments associations, local governments – is crucial. 4. The influence of the pandemic crisis on decentralised cooperation is yet hard to estimate. From one side, decentralised cooperation helped many municipalities to face the emergency situation. From the other side, with declining local revenues in the aftermath of the crisis, the shrinkage of financial possibilities for decentralised cooperation may be evident. In times of crisis decentralised cooperation has slowed down and many relations were frozen unless there were some contacts in crisis alleviation and mutual support.
